An Algebraic View on the Semantics of model Composition

TL;DR

This paper introduces an algebraic framework for understanding and formalizing the semantics of model composition, addressing the challenges of combining multiple models in complex software systems.

Contribution

It provides a foundational algebraic theory that clarifies different composition variants and their semantic implications in model-driven development.

Findings

Defines an algebraic structure for model composition

Clarifies the relationship between composition operators and semantics

Facilitates formal reasoning about model integration

Abstract

Due to the increased complexity of software development projects more and more systems are described by models. The sheer size makes it impractical to describe these systems by a single model. Instead many models are developed that provide several complementary views on the system to be developed. This however leads to a need for compositional models. This paper describes a foundational theory of model composition in form of an algebra to explicitly clarify different variants and uses of composition, their interplay with the semantics of the involved models and their composition operators.